Home prices and home buyer confidence are rising in tandem, as the housing recovery appears to be gaining steam, even into the winter months.

President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi missed a great opportunity Thursday night (okay, I realize I'm late, but I'm just getting used to this 24/7 thing). They should have quietly called Speaker John Boehner and offered to provide whatever votes were necessary to pass his Plan B. Read full article >>

NMLS Release 2013.1 has been targeted for March 18, 2013. The major enhancements pertain to: (i) Agency Fee Invoicing; (ii) Authorized Agents; (iii) Display of Disciplinary Actions in Consumer Access; and (iv) Implementation of the Uniform State Test. For an overview of these changes, see the 2013.1 Release Portfolio .

Three-Justice Panel, Citing Prior-Court Opinion Affirms MERS' Authority as Beneficiary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  CONTACT: Jason Lobo Phone: 703.652.1660 Email: jasonl@mersinc.org Reston, Virginia, December 21, 2012 - MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that two recent opinions written by Nevada Supreme Court Justice Nancy M. Saitta affirmed trial court decisions holding that Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS) is a valid beneficiary of deeds of trust in the state.  Justices James W. Hardesty and Kristina Pickering also joined in each opinion. In Ashley v. MERS et al. , the three-justice panel relied on the Court's decision in  Edelstein v. Bank of New York Mellon to affirm judgment in favor of MERS and two other defendants.  In his wrongful foreclosure complaint to the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, the borrower alleged that, due to the involvement of MERS as the beneficiary of the subject deed of trust, the trustee's foreclosure was fraudulent and should be voided.  "This court has determined that MERS is a valid beneficiary of the deed of trust..."  Justice Saitta wrote.  "MERS, in its capacity as the beneficiary of the deed of trust, was capable of assigning its own interest in the deed of trust and to appoint a substitute trustee."  In Sanchez v. OneWest Bank, FSB, et al. , the same three-justice panel affirmed the trial court dismissal in favor of the defendants.  Here, the borrowers filed a wrongful foreclosure complaint in Clark County District Court containing various allegations, including that MERS was not a proper beneficiary and therefore the defendants lacked standing to foreclose.  In affirming the dismissal, Justice Saitta and her colleagues also relied upon Edelstein in holding that any severance in the note and deed of trust did not permanently bar foreclosure.  The Court held that because...

While the housing market is showing signs of life, the looming fiscal cliff remains a threat, as does global instability, the chief economist at Freddie Mac tells MarketWatch.

LPS' "First Look" Mortgage Report: November Month-End Data Shows Slight Increase in Delinquencies, Decline in Foreclosures<br/>http://www.lpsvcs.com/LPSCorporateInformation/NewsRoom/Pages/20121221a.aspx

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a sharply lower open on Wall Street on Friday, following declines in Europe and Asia after the collapse of the Republicans' "Plan B" vote in the House of Representatives, aimed at offering a solution to the U.S. "fiscal cliff".

It didn't look like a house anyone would pay $400,000 extra for. Several walls inside the gray townhouse with blue trim were streaked with water stains. The first floor was noticeably uneven. And termites had dined in front. Read full article >>

Acting Federal Housing Administration Commissioner Carol Galante has told Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., that steps are being taken to strengthen the agency's financial position, including increased vigilance sought by NAFCU with respect to borrowers who have strategically defaulted on mortgages only to seek new ones.